All language subtitles for Restaurant.Hustle.All.on.the.Line.2020.1080p.WEB.H264-KOMPOST_Track03

♪♪

♪♪

When I first heard it, I...

you know, I played it...

It was going on
my mind two ways...

No way can this happen.

And oh, my God,

this is gonna be worse
than we could ever imagine.

I was mad. I'm still mad.

This is terrible.

Wrecked lives, wrecked families,

changed the history
of the industry.

You know, we've never seen
anything like this.

And there was really
no precedent to work from.

♪♪

MALE REPORTER:
Breaking news tonight,

the coronavirus
forcing millions more Americans

into virtual lockdown,
over 7,000 individuals...

FEMALE REPORTER: ...elected
officials taking unprecedented measures

to keep people safe.

GUY: Overnight, thousands of
restaurants closed

and millions of my brothers
and sisters

lost their jobs
across the country.

CUOMO: Any bar or restaurant
closes at 8:00 tonight.

♪♪

There was no words.

It's coming.

Prepare.

Stick together.

What can we do?

I had two ideas that came up,

and one was to raise money
for restaurant workers.

You know, we got a lot
of great people together,

raised over $24 million.

But the second was to make sure

that we took the time to capture

what was really happening
on the front lines

in the restaurant industry.

It was very clear
who it should be and why.

Chef Marcus Samuelsson,

the internationally
acclaimed restaurateur

whose flagship
Red Rooster strengthened

the already deep culinary roots

in his New York
Harlem neighborhood.

MARCUS: You know, we had
30 restaurants.

They were all jumping along.
I was on top of the world.

GUY: Chef Maneet Chauhan
and her husband Vivek,

the total package.

Balancing
a creative business plan

with a one-of-a-kind mashup
of Indian cooking

and Nashville southern charm.

MANEET: In four years,
we opened four restaurants

and three breweries.

The thing is that both of us,
we are scrappy.

We are immigrants.

GUY: Chef Christian Petroni,
the Bronx-born Italian wild man

who's built a five restaurant
empire of his own

and knows how to use
all the tools available

to stay top of mind
for his customers.

Can somebody
make some noise, guys?

[ Cheering ]

We were just gearing up to take
over the world.

GUY: And Chef Antonia Lofaso

the warrior princess herself,

a single mom who fought her way

to the top of
LA's restaurant scene

with three totally
unique concepts.

It's taken me 10 years to
build these three restaurants

and it took a matter of a week
for it all to be torn down.

♪♪

I said, I need the good,
the bad, and the ugly.

I need you to keep
that camera rolling.

I hope we get out
of this stronger.

I keep convincing myself
that we will.

But it's frightening.

A historical moment
in time in an industry

that is so important
to all of us in so many ways,

shapes, and forms.

MARCUS: It's bigger than
anything I've ever seen.

People are dying.

GUY: And these four very brave

chef/restaurant owners
captured it.

Something you've never seen,

something you'll probably
never see again.

There's a responsibility
that we all feel...

to the people who have
helped us build our restaurants.

Every morning we get up,
we pound.

ANTONIA: There are people out
there that need food

and I have to figure out
how to get it to them.

It's okay!

It's something that affects
our business.

It's something
that affects our family

and it's happening together.

MARCUS: I don't know if people
are gonna be comfortable

coming back to restaurants.

When life gives you lemons, make lemon drop
shots! When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

♪♪

♪ Whatever happened... ♪

No roadmap, just hustle.

ANTONIA: We live
to fight another day.

I can feel the finish line.

CHRISTIAN:
Oh, we're in business.

ANTONIA:
What if 2020 was the year that

we all exactly needed?

CHRISTIAN:
Think I'm losing it, man!

[ Laughing ]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

GUY: At the start of 2020,

the restaurant industry
was as strong as it's ever been.

Revenues and customer
satisfaction were up.

It's a bright time for
a traditionally low margin,

high-risk industry to shine,

and all of our chefs are coming
off a really strong year.

♪♪

My name is
Chef Marcus Samuelsson,

and I'm the chef and co-owner
of Red Rooster here in Harlem.

I was born in Ethiopia,
but grew up in Sweden.

So I am a self-proclaimed
Swediopian.

My mother, my sister,
and I had tuberculosis

and she passed away
in the hospital.

But me and my sister
were lucky enough to get adopted

and we got adopted
to Gothenburg, Sweden.

And that's where I found
my love for cooking.

I spent a lot of my time

learning the craft
in Central Europe

and it was definitely food
that brought me to the States.

Remember those days
when I came to this country

with $300 and just excited.

After 9/11, I was lost.

I was searching for
a larger community.

Coming to Harlem,
was instantly coming home

and it felt like a community
that was part of something.

Once I moved to Harlem,

It was equally important
to create a restaurant

in my community.

In 2010, we opened
the doors to Red Rooster.

I look at the four corners
of African-American culture,

right, so the food
is obviously there.

There's also a certain level
of hospitality

and then also music
and then art.

It's a very layered experience.

That's what regulars just loved.

It's all about experiencing
great comfort food.

On an average week,

we serve about 5,000 people
at Red Rooster.

On a Saturday or Sunday,
maybe 900 to 1,000 people.

♪♪

I enjoy the reaction
between pan and ingredient,

that sizzle in the pan.

We are creative beings
and we have to do it.

And we are talking
through the food.

I will always cook.

We had 30 restaurants
in our portfolio

in eight countries
that were all jumping along.

We have 180 people
that work at Red Rooster.

I was on top of the world.

♪♪

ANTONIA:
I'm Chef Antonia Lofaso.

I'm an executive chef
and restaurant owner

here in Los Angeles, California.

I have three restaurants...
Scopa, Italian roots,

which is my American Italian
restaurant.

DAMA, which is
my Latin-inspired restaurant.

And Black Market,

which is, I like to say,
American eclectic.

I am a single mom of
an incredible

20-year-old college
student named Xea.

I started cooking
when I was 10 years old

in Long Island, New York.

I grew up in an Italian
and Jewish family,

so food was a huge part of how
we showed love and appreciation.

I decided to go
to culinary school

because I knew
that I loved food.

I knew that I loved
the restaurant industry.

And I knew that I wanted
to be a part of it.

The biggest passion for me
in this industry is hospitality,

taking care of people.

I love that I am the facilitator
of the good time.

My work schedule consists of me

basically running
three restaurants,

overseeing close to
500 employees.

On a typical busy weekend
in February,

we were serving close
to 1,200 people,

you know, 600 people easily
each night.

Revenue was flowing.
We had such great momentum.

♪♪

I am Maneet Chauhan
and I am the president

and founder
of Morph Hospitality.

And along with my husband,
Vivek Deora,

Vivek is the CEO and founder.

We own four restaurants
in downtown Nashville,

Chauhan Ale & Masala House,

which is Indian food inspired
by Southern cuisine,

Chaatable is street Indian food.

Mockingbird is modern diner

with retro dishes
with a modern twist.

And Tansuo is absolutely
Chinese cuisine

influenced from all over China.

Vivek and I also own a beer park
called Hop Springs,

which is on 83 acres.

I was born in India
and my love story with food

goes as far back as I remember.

I would literally
finish dinner at home

and then go
to my neighbors' houses

and tell them that
my parents hadn't fed me.

So can I eat with you?

I started learning
the diversity of food.

You know, in India,
each and every state

has a very distinct cuisine
of its own.

What I'm really known for
is taking Indian food,

which is my roots,

and giving it a Western spin
to it.

Through food,
I could have a conversation

with anybody.

You make the food
and you present it to the guests

when they take the first bite
and they have the a-ha moment.

To me, that makes everything
okay in the world.

It's going great.

On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
between the three restaurants

we have fed 2,500 people.

We would get a high
the next morning

like, you know, sending texts.

"Hey, guys, these are
the numbers that we did. Yes!"

♪♪

My name is Christian Petroni

and I got five Italian
restaurants Fortina

located around the tristate
area, Armonk, Rye Brook,

Stamford, Brooklyn,
and beautiful Yonkers, New York.

We cook food
in woodfired ovens...

Red sauce, chicken Parm,

pasta, flipping pies in the air,
upside down,

doing flips just, like,
the food you want to eat.

I really love my neighborhood
growing up in the Bronx,

whether it was
at our kitchen table

or walking back
and forth to school,

food always played
some sort of role.

Believe it or not, all I ever
really wanted to do was cook.

I'm not one of those cool chefs

that trained with
a lot of cool chefs.

I had some great chefs
in my life that taught me a lot.

But I like to think
I'm pretty much self-taught.

I love making food for people.

Last year, we served
over 600,000 guests.

A lot of dishes.

We were humming on all cylinders

just like a beast.

[ Siren wailing ]

One person with coronavirus
in King County,

Washington state, has died.

This now makes
the first coronavirus death

confirmed in the U.S.

♪♪

♪♪

The situation is accelerating
and action is accelerating.

Any bar or restaurant closes
at 8:00 tonight.

♪♪

What we just decided

was to close our second
restaurant,

Hudson Valley.

Brooklyn has been closed.

We got to lay off those managers

and the rest
of that remaining team.

We had close to 300 employees.

And right now,
it's like less than 20.

Um...

♪♪

WOMAN: Is hard for you to see it
like this? MARCUS: It's devastating.

CHRISTIAN: This place would
normally be packed with people.

ANTONIA: There is a part of me
that never thought everything

that I worked for for the last
10 years would be taken away.

It's really hard to swallow.

♪♪

These are the restaurants
all up on the screen,

so we can always see
what's going on.

It's eerie.

Here in Armonk right now,

this was my first restaurant.

Empty, empty.

I was 29 years old
when we opened this

and I'm sitting here
right now on a Sunday

where this place would
normally be packed with people

having brunch, families,

grandparents, making memories.

I mean, this is
where it all happens

in these two rooms over here

and to see them empty.

Can I even reopen these places?

I don't even want
to think about that right now,

but that is something

that is gonna be
a conversation very soon.

I don't know
what's gonna happen.

I straight up just don't know.

♪♪

MARCUS: This happened very,
very quickly.

One day we were open
and a day later

we were completely shut down
everywhere.

Sweden, Norway, Denmark,
Finland, shutting down Harlem.

We were one week away
from opening Miami.

And it's not just names.

These are places,
these are chefs,

these are service, you know,
cooks.

Some people that we built

something together
over the years.

Red Rooster's a very layered
experience.

To the right is the nook.

That's where the DJs are.

So we have the open kitchen.
We planned it that way.

Chefs have been
anonymous for so many years.

We wanted to bring
some highlights

to the cooks and the chefs.

The bar is really where
the community meet.

WOMAN: Is it hard for you to
see it like this? It's devastating.

It's taken me 25 years
to build this moment

that I have,

but it took 10 days
to tear it all down.

I don't wish it
on my worst enemy.

♪♪

Restaurants will be closed

for dining
inside those restaurants.

ANTONIA: So on March 16th,
on that Monday,

all of my restaurants either
closed or became takeout only.

Not that it came as a shock,
I think the week before

we all kind of saw it happening.

So I think Los Angeles knew
that it was coming.

There is a part of me that
never thought in a million years

that everything that I worked
for for the last 10 years,

every source of revenue
would be taken away

in a matter of hours.

This whole experience
has been more than anything

I was ever ready to deal with.

We don't know how we're
gonna stay afloat.

There has been
an array of emotions.

I have just been sort of
really angry and, uh,

aggressive, and sad.

It is a serious, like,
emergency.

♪♪

Today is especially hard

because our company
has over 500 employees

that are getting

their last check today.

My heart is broken

because there's a responsibility
that we all feel...

[ Sniffles ]

...to the people who have
helped us build our restaurants.

♪♪

And are in it with us every day.

And for them to not, um,

be employed or feel safety

is really hard.

It's really hard to swallow.

♪♪

We knew that it was just
a matter of time that COVID

would be hitting Nashville,

but we did not realize
the severity of the situation.

A lot of people
were completely blindsided.

♪♪

March 16, we were open,

March 17, everything was closed.

We made the call
to shut down the restaurants

ahead of the curve.

Right away, we knew that
the first thing we needed to do

was to just lay off
our entire team.

And that puts close
to 300 people out of work.

It was at a neck breaking speed,

that one decision
after the next decision,

just trying to make sure
that we were doing the best

for our company,
for our staff, for our guests.

We could have just stayed
and struggled for another week.

That one week would have cost us
payroll, ingredients, wastage.

That was a big number.

We are like, hey, guys,
there is no way

that we are going to survive
if we don't shut down right now.

♪♪

What really, really hit me
the worst

was that everybody was so
freaking gracious about it.

They're like, yeah,
we understand.

I'm like,
I'm so glad that you do

because I have no understanding
of this situation.

♪♪

To me, all of these restaurants,

they seem to be a culmination
of all the hard work,

the sweat, the tears,
the sacrifices

that I have made all my life
to find myself over here.

I see this dream
completely shattering.

The entire COVID situation
was raw.

And that moment became so,

so overwhelming that
I offered...

That I opened the fridge,
I grabbed a bottle of wine,

I went to my closet
with my pillow.

And any other time
it would be fine.

But given the times
that we are in, it just really,

really hit me
and really, really upset me.

We had just let
go of our entire team.

We had just shut down
all the restaurants

and I was in a very emotionally
vulnerable place.

These times are crazy.

I want us to win,

especially when it comes
to the restaurants,

to how hard we worked,

how hard
we have created this family.

I hope we get out
of this stronger.

I keep convincing myself
that we will,

but it's frightening.

It's frightening.

CHRISTIAN: ♪ It's gonna be good,
it's gonna be great ♪

♪ We're staying positive,
it's gonna be great ♪

We came up with pies
for the people

for whoever can use
a morale boost.

Thank you so much, okay?

MANEET: After a week,
we started the takeout.

I was worried that people had
already had their curry fix.

Somebody just wrote,
we love Chauhan.

I really needed to see
this message to today.

We're gonna do 100 meals
for a hospital in Hollywood.

This is our calling
during the pandemic.

This is what makes
all of this okay.

♪♪

♪♪

CHRISTIAN: ♪ Another day,
we're gonna do it ♪

♪ We're staying positive,
we're staying positive ♪

♪ It's gonna be good,
it's gonna be great ♪

♪ We're staying positive,
it's gonna be great ♪

♪♪

When the pandemic hit,
we knew we wanted to help.

We came up with
Pies For the People.

What's great about it
is that you can buy a pizza

on our website
and you can buy it for someone

who can benefit from it,
someone in need,

whether it's obviously
a frontline hospital worker,

doctors, nurses, policemen, EMT.

But whoever can use
a morale boost

is pretty much what
Pies For the People

is all about.

All right, let's move these
pizzas over here.

These are all full? Yeah,
yeah, everything's full.

Let's start loading up
my truck with them.

♪♪

We got a side by side situation.

When the pizza oil
goes on the seats,

it's like a good conditioner.

You know, it's good when the new
leather seats are anointed

by the oil of the 'za, you know?

♪♪

We're off to
Bridgeport Hospital.

Get these hundred pies
to some people

that can really use a proper

morale boost right now.

♪♪

I'll start bringing them in now.

Hi, guys. Oh, thank you, dear.

Thank you for everything
you guys do.

Thank you so much, okay?

You guys all stay safe.

Bye, guys.
Thank you for everything.

♪♪

Last year was a year

that we were finally settling
down while we are like, okay,

we are going to figure out what
the road map is for five years,

seven years, 10 years,
15 years, 20 years.

Right?

Those road maps literally went

into the trash.

I have been so impressed
with the way Vivek

has been handling all of this,

his focus has been on
how we are going to come back

and strategizing on... on that.

He also keeps me grounded.

First thing that I wanted to do
was I'm like,

let's start curbside pickup.

And he's like, no,
for one week we do nothing.

And in that one week,
we did our market research

as to what is
the best way to do this, right?

Don't tell him
I told you that, but, yeah,

I've been very impressed
with Vivek.

Maneet and I
are partners in everything

besides being life partners,

we're also business partners.

MANEET: It's definitely not easy
working together and cooking...

Parenting together,
working together... Yeah.

...coaching together.

But both of us are really
passionate about this industry.

I think that's what makes
the foundation very strong

and then small fights that's...
That adds spice to life.

Yeah, the spice queen
talking about passion.

MANEET: After a week,
we started the takeouts.

Vivek went ahead and figured out

strategically how to do that.

VIVEK: Open up Tansuo on Friday.

So Friday night Chinese and then
Chauhan Indian food on Saturday

and then Sunday is Mockingbird.

And that's the strategy
going into this weekend.

Hopefully we will succeed.

And if we don't,

hey, we tried. We tried.

[ Telephone ringing ]

Thank you for calling Chauhan,
this is Ali.

MANEET: On Saturday, we have
curbside pick up from Chauhan.

We decided that we are going
to do preorders

so that we know
what is the orders coming,

so that we order things
which are fresh

and only as much as we want.

So we are not sitting
on too much of inventory

because inventory equals money.

In half an hour, we are going
to start doing takeout orders.

We have over
100 different orders done.

It's a lot to do.

So this is the calm
before the storm.

Yeah, I'm a little bit nervous.

So there is a word in Hindi
which is called jugaad.

♪♪

Which means using
whatever resources

are available around you
to come up with a solution.

And I know that we are going
to come up with crazy ideas on

how to swim
when this flood comes.

This is critical
for our survival.

It's going to help us
from closing the place.

Is it as tall as I am?

No, it isn't. It isn't.

Those tickets, that pays
the utilities for a month.

Each ticket will pay for
a little bit of the water bill,

a little bit of the gas bill,

a little bit of
the electricity bill,

but it won't make rent.

That comes from our pocket.

You do what you got to do.

MANEET: We went from close to
300 employees down to a handful.

All of us partners
are working for free

because it's a matter
of survival.

MICHAEL: Putting in orders.

Think it's pretty bonkers.
Time is of the essence.

I have Katherine.
Which one do you need?

I need Leslie Osborne.

Okay, coming.

I'm getting my steps in.
I better get more than 10,000.

I was worried that maybe
people had already

had their curry fix

and maybe they're getting
more worried about corona

that they won't be coming out.

There were so many orders.

Thank you so much for
ordering today. Of course!

Under this mask,

there's a big smile, I
promise you. Me, too!

People just telling us,
thank you for opening

and cooking food for us.

Those messages
were so meaningful.

Oh, my God.

Somebody just wrote,
we love Chauhan.

Any other day,
I would have been really [bleep]

because you literally
are vandalizing our building.

But I really needed
to see this message today.

Today has been...
Today has been a tough day.

So whoever did it, I really
needed to see this today.

We are done.

These are the moments, right?

While we are... wow!

Cheers.
- Cheers!

The first night
for takeout for Chauhan,

we did around 120 meals,

which seemed like
a great accomplishment.

But in normal times,
this was 1/10th

of what we as an entire group
would have sold.

But I still felt
a sense of accomplishment.

This is our family time.
[ Laughs ]

- See you! Bye.
- Take care, bye. Thank you.

I think the one thing that
we don't have a doubt about

is the fact
that we both are fighters

and we are going to make
the best

of whatever situation
we find ourselves in.

The day we opened
Chauhan Ale & Masala House,

the first restaurant,

I was expecting baby number two,

and he decided to be born
three months early,

the day we opened
the restaurant.

As parents,

you feel very helpless.

You have a 2 1/2-pounder,

lighter than a gallon of milk
and you're so not in control.

You are so at the mercy of...
Mercy of the doctors.

He was in the hospital
in the NICU for three months.

It was a very tough time for us.

But we, you know, we were strong

and we made it through.

We did whatever it took.

And this is no different.
We are strong.

We'll make it through.

ANTONIA: This is the first time
that I've talked about this

in a way that isn't pretty.

We're trying to, like, provide
a service to the community

because people don't want to go
to supermarkets

and they're freaked out.

MARCUS: We all have
to stay positive,

we're in this together.

I think could be the one thing
we've got to hold on to.

I've never done this before,

I've never filmed
in my restaurant.

I don't really talk about
my life in the restaurant.

I keep it like church and state.

What I do here is very different

and very private
from what I do on television.

This is the first time
that I've opened up

and talked about this in a way

that isn't pretty and uncertain.

Once the shutdown hit,
within a day and a half,

we closed DAMA completely.

We focused on
Black Market and Scopa.

We did a limited to-go menu
in both venues.

Do we want to offer pre-order?

Yeah, I think we do pre-order
for them as well. For them as well?

ANTONIA: February 2020 with all
of the restaurants and bars,

we have over 500 employees.

And March 2020,

we were able
to keep on 20 employees.

♪♪

Yesterday, the order
came down that restaurants

could sell groceries,

they didn't need
a grocers license.

So we turned all of
the venues into markets.

So there were two
different markets

along with takeout
that we did at Scopa,

which was more of like this
Italian market, if you will.

So this is what we're doing
for the market.

Frozen tomato sauce, meat sauce,
pork ragu, mushroom ragu,

and then it's lasagne,

chicken Parm that everyone
can buy to stock them

in their freezers
and then fresh pasta that...

[ speaks indistinctly ]
...makes every single day.

And then Fred's Market
was more kitchen essentials.

Which was once the bakery

is now just like
the beginning of our grocery.

We're selling apples,
bananas, oranges,

lemon, limes, grapefruits,
bread, sugar, flour, salt.

We're trying to, like,
provide a service

to the community
because people don't want to go

to supermarkets and supermarket
shelves are empty

and they're freaked out.

Guys, I need a meat sauce,

a meatball, and a dozen eggs
from the fridge.

♪♪

ABC department,
who regulates our, like, beer

and liquor license,
day two or three,

lifted all the ordinances
of being a label to sell liquor,

which is a huge, huge deal.

What we can sell it for
is usually a 30% markup.

We can make $50
off of a bottle of tequila.

I make $12
off the steak that I sell.

Liquor sales are actually up 40%

in the United States right now.

This has basically doubled
our sales in a week.

So since we brought on alcohol,

right now we have almost
90% of our back

of the house fully employed
at least two days a week,

specifically because
we started selling liquor.

Every day is just
kind of getting up,

setting up our kitchen
in a whole new way.

The restaurant looks
completely different.

There are no plates.
There is no silverware.

It's all to-go boxes.

So this has been
a huge disruption.

We all look like chef doctors.
[ Laughs ]

This might be the new norm.

♪♪

♪♪

MARCUS:
When all of this happened,

I felt helpless, first.

It was really, really
helpful to see Andrés

at World Central Kitchen.

We could turn Red Rooster
into community kitchen.

The most amazing thing
about our chef community that is

that we are a community.

And I feel so privileged
and blessed to have a friend

like José Andrés.

José Andrés is
an incredible chef

and he's really built up
an incredible restaurant empire.

So he built an organization
called World Central Kitchen

and he travels the world
and really helps out

wherever there's a food
insecurity, he goes.

He's a friend, you know,
he's an immigrant like me.

We cook together
over the last 20 years,

you know, calling FEMA.

I wouldn't even know
where to start, you know,

like what is, you know, like,

there's no human contact there.

I'm on the phone
with José, I said,

hey, chef, I need you.

We need to serve our community.

And he's just said,
I'll be there. We'll be there.

Getting a first load
from World Central Kitchen,

carrying it in.

Second week has been about when
the hustler when the chef in you

really shows up, right,
so we partnered

with José Andrés
and World Central Kitchen,

really convert produce to Harlem
into community kitchen.

Hi, how are you?

He's here to make sure that all this
food is happening. No, he's the general.

Hi, guys. Oh, thank you.
Thank you very much, sir.

MARCUS: One of the blessings
of living in Harlem

is that you see America,
you see all of it.

Times like this,

you don't even know
where the industry is going,

what's next.

But right now, you can't even
think about this.

Today, it's about giving.

We have a purpose
and let's feed that purpose.

WOMAN: Perfect time
to say prayer.

ROBERT: Heavenly Father,
we just thank you right now.

Oh, God, protect us from...
[ speaks indistinctly ]

MARCUS: My crew,
they are heroes.

You know, Robert is a hero.

Robert is a priest.
He's also our greeter.

So he works the line
and he makes sure

that there is
a level of dignity there

that is upheld.

With this coronavirus

and with all the stuff
that's going on,

We do care. So they may not
have the food or the finance,

but we're gonna contribute
the best that we can.

MARCUS: When I look at him
and he shows up every day,

all the time...

We thank you for
World Central Kitchen

that collaborated with
Marcus Samuelsson.

MARCUS: If he can do it,
I can do it.

- Amen.
- Amen.

Amen.

MARCUS: World Central Kitchen
has helped us rehire some staff,

if I can have 35,

40 people back, good 25%,

that's massive, that's huge.

I mean, us chefs, all chefs,

we're very committed
to our team.

I don't know one chef
that is not.

It's your second family.

You're definitely the captain
of the ship. You're the chef.

And my team is looking
for answers from me.

It's looking for security
for their families from us.

Now, what's up?
What are you gonna do?

We all have to stay positive.
We're in this together.

I think could be the one thing
that we got to hold on to.

ANTONIA: I don't know.

There's something about today
where it's like we had

to leave the restaurant.
[ Laughs ]

Go out into the world!
[ Laughs ]

MARCUS: The most vulnerable
are African-American men.

You realize, whoa,
they're speaking about me.

♪♪

The bad news isn't just bad,

the bad news
is actually terrible.

It's the roughest week
in New York so far,

because this week and next week

is when we're supposed to lose
to most people.

You know, I'm looking
at all the numbers

because it's just so depressing.

But one of the numbers
that came out

was that the most vulnerable
are African-American men.

And being a black man
living in Harlem,

you realize, whoa,

they're speaking about me.

It's scary and I don't want
to be paranoid, but it's scary.

♪♪

♪♪

So all of our sous chefs
have still been working

and we've actually been able
to bring back employees

to Scopa and Black Market.

Things feel really good.
The Scopa market is doing great.

We're doing great numbers to-go.

On a typical busy weekend
in 2019,

we were serving 600 people
easily each night.

Now, with COVID, we're doing
maybe 30 to-go orders.

We've got markets going.
We've got to-go going.

At this point, it's like
how do we take care

of frontline workers

and can we donate food
to show our appreciation?

There's a ton of charity work
raising money, okay,

that's being filtered
through World Central Kitchen

José Andrés' charity to provide

meals to frontline workers

and at the same time, provide
revenue for restaurants.

[ Laughter ]

MARCO: Another 100 meals? Okay.

ANTONIA: So upstairs,
I have Luis working on

a little arugula
and provolone salads for them.

And then they're gonna get
an extruded macaroni.

So, like, a fresh macaroni
with bolognese.

And then we're gonna make
some vegetarian options

and do like a mushroom.

I do it for some of
the vegetarian

doctors and nurses.

♪♪

I feel, like, really happy
right now.

Very first hospital drop,
everyone was pumped.

I don't know,
there's something about today

where it's like we get to...
We get to leave the restaurant.

[ Laughs ]

And, like,
go out into the world.

[ Laughs ]

My good friend Ben,
who trains me in the morning,

he was like, I'll drive you.

Chani, who's my marketing
director,

Lacey, who's also a dear friend
and part of the community.

Everyone wanted to come on
this trip, this trip six miles.

For the record,
it was six miles away.

I haven't been anywhere other
than my house and Scopa

in three weeks.

I was so excited
where I was like,

this is our calling
during the pandemic.

This is what makes
all of this okay.

We just pulled up in where
it says patient staff pick up,

drop off, is that okay?
- Yeah.

The only time that I would be
putting gloves on and a mask on

and getting out of a car with a group
of people... With a getaway driver.

With a getaway driver would be
if we were robbing a bank.

Mushroom pasta.
- Oh, my God. Yummy.

Insalata.

This is like the best
pasta ever!

♪♪

Thank you so much.

The highlight today
was that we did something

outside of the restaurants,
you know, something bigger,

which is just taking care
of the doctors and the nurses.

It makes me feel
proud of my team.

Hospitality world is strong

and they make [bleep] happen.

CHRISTIAN:
There is something here.

This can be a revenue
generator for me.

MANEET: The hardest part is
teaching math to my daughter.

Oh, my God.

We got Pies For the People
we got takeout,

and it ain't enough.

We need new ideas
and we need them now.

A really cool thing
is happening right now

where some big supermarkets
are starting to call me

and they're looking
for our lasagne,

a few different pasta dishes.

♪♪

So this is what
we're doing right now.

In DeCicco's, right?

You happy with the way
it's been holding on?

When they heat it up,
does it get creamy?

Is there sauce for them to...
[ speaks indistinctly ] Yeah.

We want sauce to the bottom.

We do the sauce on the bottom.
We toss the noodles.

If we can go like
an extra half a ladle

or whatever it is on
the bottom... Okay.

Only because people just...
They love sauce.

Yeah, of course, absolutely.
Yeah.

And the lasagna's beautiful.

It's got that real fine
creamy texture to it.

People are lovin' this, man.

Just because there's
so many layers in there.

I haven't had pasta
in two weeks.

Oh.

[ Speaks indistinctly ]

My idea of Christmas. [ Laughs ]

I've got more.

Let's just keep going.

Sounds good.

I think people are gonna want

more restaurant-quality food

that they can finish
in their oven at home.

So that's what I'm really
gonna focus on.

There is something here.

This is a real...
This can be a real, um,

revenue generator, for me,

this can actually be
its own business

and I'm telling you,
I was staying optimistic

and I know something good
is bound to come out of this

and it looks like
it could be starting.

And with that being said,
we'll just keep...

We'll just keep the candle lit

and hope for the best.

MARCUS: This pandemic has
created an involuntary pause,

and maybe is that
what we needed?

Hop Springs Brewery has come out
with a social distancing beer.

People are driving through
and they're taking it home.

ANTONIA: This is the most amount
of food I've ordered in a month.

The bike is going
and then wrench gets thrown

into the wheel
and then you fly off and crash.

Thank God Sherri's here
with the kids

and even the extra time
I've been spending here at home,

I'm like, oh, my gosh,
how does she do it?

Like, I can never handle it.

Hey, Mama, how's the
fresh air feel? Not so good.

Not so good. Right, Mama?

Hey, baby girl.

Say hi to your sister.

Say hi to your sister.

Say hi to your sister.

No, there's one up here. Use
the one up here. I don't want to.

Hey, Beau-colone, come here. No!

You want to
take your helmet off?

Beau-Beau, if you love me,
say no.

If you love me, say no.

[ Screams ]

See? He loves me.

I am Italian.

Family is a big part
of our culture,

so, you know, it makes
for an interesting time.

So this past Saturday, you know,

we had to get out of the house.

I said, babe, don't we just
take a ride past grammy

and poppy's house, right?

We're here seeing the family
for the first time

in a while.

We're being about
being socially responsible

so grammy and poppy,

we surprised grammy and poppy,
there's poppy right there.

They haven't seen
their grandkids.

So...

It's just not fair.

Am I gonna be that guy

that started off real positive

throughout this whole thing
and slowly,

slowly...

slowly deteriorates

until he gives up and loses?

No, that's not me.

♪♪

You want to stay away
from that oven if you're smart.

Outside of my wife and kids,
all right,

and the business that I built,
all right,

and these chickens

are one of the best things
that has ever happened to me.

♪♪

Love you.

If I can't do it
for my employees,

I can't do it for my family,

the least I can do is try to

pull it together
for the chickens.

Oh.

♪♪

REPORTER: Tonight as schools
closed from coast to coast,

the precautionary step
for COVID-19,

forcing parents to figure out
what comes next.

The state of Tennessee
have declared public schools

to be closed
for the rest of the year,

which is gonna cause
a lot of mayhem in our lives.

♪♪

[ Sighs ]

Okay, I'm rushing back home

because I have to go

and teach the kids schoolwork.

And crazy.

Right now, Vivek and I,
we are just trying

to figure out what's next.

I say I'm a mom of three.

I have two kids and a husband.

[ Shouting indistinctly ]

MANEET: Shagun is 8.
She's my daughter.

Karma is 5. He's my son.

Sunday movie morning, Karma?

No, we're gonna do this all day.

[ Gasps ] We are.

- Hi!
- [ Sighs ] Okay.

I swear to God,
the hardest part about corona

is teaching math to my daughter.

Oh, my God.

Early morning math be like...

♪♪

Those four teachers,
the amount of text or emails

that I was sending.

I have a newfound respect
for teachers

because teaching the kids
is highly frustrating.

We've got to do
what we've got to do.

That's what parents do.

It's really important
to be making sure

that your kids get as much
attention as your restaurant is.

WOMAN: Keep up the good work.
I hope to see you soon.

MARCUS: Hide and seek!

Hey, I'm looking for Zion.
Is Zion there?

Wow!

As this is happening,
try to focus on what little bit

of good I spent much,
much more time with my family.

I do think that what
stays positive,

like, I cook more at home
and I have had a chance to be

with my son and the family.

My beautiful wife, Maya,

we've been together
for about 15 years.

We have an almost
4-year-old little kid, Zion,

that is everything to us.

Let's go.

[ Shouts indistinctly ]

MARCUS: Now we live right
in front of a park,

that's his park, you know.

Every morning, we've been
coming out of the park

when there's no people.

It's been our bonding time.

And I realized I missed so much.

And it's also made me
think about,

hey, man, what was I doing?

Was I doing too much for what,
for whom?

Who is this guy?

The greatest joy
just to be home with him.

He can't see me down.
I got to be up for him, for her.

But it's tough.

Thank you, Zion.

[ Speaks indistinctly ]
Making a salad.

MARCUS: Hey, we're healthy

and our son is healthy
and that keeps me going.

This pandemic has created
an involuntary pause, right?

It focuses all of us to think
and take stock.

Yeah, it gives me time to pause
and maybe, maybe,

maybe somewhere deep in there,

is that what we needed?

Maybe.

♪♪

So right here what we have is
Life is Brewing Hop Springs.

It's a second arm
of our business,

which is the largest
craft brewery

in the state of Tennessee,

and it sits on this beautiful
84 acres.

In the good times,
we used to have this area

loaded with people
who would come in

and play this golf,

who would come for
the 5K walking trail,

and hang out
while they drink some beer.

Today, it's empty.

The only way
we could overcome the crisis

and keep the lights on literally
is by having the drive-thru.

People are driving through,
they're picking up some beer,

and they're taking it home
while they're social distancing.

I mean, it's been
more successful

than when we would have people
coming over here, which is...

...crazy, I mean, it's
unheard of. It is, it is.

MANEET: The alcohol sales
in America are up by 40%.

I think Maneet and I
contributed 1% of that 40%.

[ Both laugh ]

Hop Springs Brewery has come out

with a social distancing beer.

And we start doing the beer
rollout this week.

Oh.

- Cheers.
- Cheers.

Cheers.

For us, this one crazy idea
which we spent together

in the think tank and executed,

I would say almost flawlessly,

has been a real blessing.

So just leaving
the Hop Springs Brewery.

What do you think, Vivek?
Do they think we'll make it?

Do we have any other option?

There is always a doubt
in the back of your mind.

Hey, when we come back, we will
come back with all of it?

Or are we gonna come back
with something that is short?

Who knows?

♪♪

♪♪

If you really think about it
like there's not gonna be

an end to this,
there is no vaccine for this.

My prediction is this is

just gonna go on
for a very long time.

♪♪

That's actually
the fun part about this.

I know this sounds crazy,
but it's like this pivot

and make it happen
where it's like,

okay, what's coming up?
Easter's coming up.

Okay, what's coming up?
The Passover's coming up.

Like, how can we support
the community?

How can we keep people employed?
How can we make money?

And it's like
it's actually working.

It's almost like a test
in business skills.

It's really exciting.

♪♪

We went home last night
and then we came back

to 52 emails
about Easter and Passover dinner

that we have to get back
to this morning.

What do you think the maximum

potentially could be? I think
it has to be... it has to be 50.

We can't do... [ speaks
indistinctly ] Okay, copy that.

It's a pandemic, people.
No dietary restrictions.

So it's Los Angeles. [ Laughs ]

We sold over 60 orders of seder
dinners, you know what I mean?

And the seder dinner was huge.

You're talking about
five courses, including dessert.

I can only do 50 orders,

which is essentially 250 people.

We only have so many ovens
to braise brisket

in two days.

I was making matzo balls
until 11:00 at night

and then I'm working
on the braised basket.

And then tomorrow we're gonna
work on mashed potatoes.

My grandma used to be like,

"You got... you got to get rid
of the scum off the soup."

Just for the record,

even when things go back
to normal, whatever that means,

I'm doing Passover dinners every
year, all these new traditions.

It's like the roller coaster
riding high, like,

look what we're doing
for the community.

We have so much food
in the menu.

This is the most amount of food
I've ordered in a month.

This is the most amount of money

that I've spent
in a month on food.

Morale's super high.

The bike is going.
The bike is going.

And then the wrench
gets thrown into the wheel

and then you fly off
the bike and crash.

♪♪

An employee tested positive for
the coronavirus. FRED: Seriously?

Passover is canceled,
2020 is canceled,

life is canceled.

♪♪

So an employee
tested positive for COVID-19.

Um, he's been out of the venue

and we are shutting down Scopa
and possibly Black Market

and we probably will not reopen
until this is all over.

Passover is canceled.

Everything's canceled,
2020 is canceled,

life is canceled.

[ Line ringing ]

- Morning, baby.
- Morning, Daddy.

How you doing?

So we have to close Scopa today
because an employee

tested positive for the
coronavirus. Seriously?

Yeah.

What about all the, uh...

Seder dinners?

Yeah.

They're all in
my refrigerator right now,

unable to be delivered.

Oh, [bleep].

I'm going full transparency,
like, we're letting people know

we're cleaning, we're isolating,

like, see you in two weeks.

Oh, my God. So that shuts down
all your...

Your income and
everything, oh, my God. Yeah.

There's been times where
my father has said to me,

you know,
life is sweet right now.

That's his favorite expression.

But let's not forget

that life changes
in a split second, Antonia.

And are you ready for that?

Is it the Sicilian in
my father that has me resilient?

Yeah, I mean, it's being raised

by a parent whose parents
survived the Depression.

I think it's being raised
by a parent

who has had absolutely
no job prospect

and zero dollars in the bank
and a wife and a family

to provide for and moved across
country and figured it out.

It's like
an Italian man's dream.

That's it. [ Laughs ]

I want two meat sauces
and two plain.

Two meat sauces, coming up.

I was raised by
that kind of a family.

He is the greatest person
on the planet

as far as I'm concerned.

I've just been very smart
about always creating a savings.

And my father is always just

like always prepare for
the worst case scenario.

So I've literally lived my
entire life with my restaurants

can be taken away at any moment.

I was like,
that'll never happen, Dad.

How would all three of
my restaurants

be taken away all at once?

Oh, he was right.

So when this happened, you know,
it's almost like preparing me

for the [bleep] things
that happen in life.

And so I'm not really surprised
when they do.

The hardest part
was shutting down Scopa,

giving people last checks,

furloughing the last little bit
of employees

that I had them being
really confused as to,

but I thought we were busy,
I thought we were okay,

I thought we can work.

Are you sure it's only
gonna be two weeks.

A ton of those questions,
we just don't know.

♪♪

[ Speaks indistinctly ]

Xea Myers is my 20-year-old
daughter.

She's a college student
out of Boston

and she's been saddled with
her mother during quarantine,

but she's been awesome.

You've been making dinner?

Xea, you cut the steak?
It looks so good.

Xea, she's been the best
chicken nugget

during this entire quarantine.

I was worried.

Xea and I were just kind of used

to catastrophic events

that change the way
that you look at life forever.

Xea and I lost her dad
when she was 11.

He was 44 years old

and died
of a pulmonary embolism.

Success out of necessity
is a real thing.

It was more or less
like you sink or you swim,

like you don't have
a choice right now.

We figured it out.

I figured out how to make money

as a single woman
raising a child.

I went and jumped into
the deep end without any fear.

We're not confused
by hard times.

We don't let them get
the better of us.

Those kinds of things, I think
prepare you for this time.

You've never cooked more
in your entire life.

And that. like, is so much,
like, weight off my shoulders.

Meaning, like, if I sent you out
into the world

and you didn't know how to cook,

what kind of mother am I?

I don't wanna go.

♪♪

MARCUS: Hey, Melba.

This is what the dining room is
being used for. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

CHRISTIAN: First day of patio.

So Guy called me yesterday,
he's doing "Triple D."

Well, look at this
cast of characters.

♪♪

We've now served about
27,000 meals

between the three locations
for World Central Kitchen.

We got about 10 restaurants
in Newark involved now

and we're gonna do the same
thing here in Harlem.

Well, this week,
I'm gonna go and meet

other chefs here in Harlem
that joined us

for the World Central Kitchen
feeding program.

Restaurants such as Melba,
all doing about 2, 300 portions.

I want to go over
to my appreciation

and say thank you.

When you think about mom
and pop restaurant,

this is what Harlem's
got a lot of.

♪♪

So right now,
I'm outside Melba's.

Hey, Melba.

[ Speaks indistinctly ]

- Hi.
- Hi!

One of the reasons
why I moved to Harlem

was because of Melba
because she's from Harlem

and she was the one who always

said she'll open
a restaurant here.

This what we doing now, right?
I know.

[ Speaks indistinctly ]

It's the first time I can't
touch you. I know. It's weird.

It looks exactly the same
as us, like,

you got to have your boxes,
you got to have your thing.

This is what the dining room is being used
for now, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

But we know how to pivot.

Yeah. You know
what's so weird? Yeah?

Every December 31st,
I come up with a new word.

My new word this year,

December 21, 2019,
was pivot. Wow, wow.

I had no clue on how accurate this would
become in my life. The meaning of it, right.

Thank you for all the work
you guys are doing. Thank you.

Thank you guys, stay strong.

Thank you for all that you
do for Harlem. Thank you.

You believed in this community

way before there was
a Red Rooster.

And I could never thank you
enough for it. Love you, guys.

- Virtual hug.
- Virtual hug.

Virtual hug.

MARCUS: This is what small
business mom and pop look like.

They could disappear because
they do not have 25 years

bandwidth on this, right?

Most restaurants maybe
have cash flow for a month,

maybe even for two.

Most of them don't.

In the winter, when you have
two bad snowstorms,

the restaurant is hurting.

But this is 500 times worse
than two bad snowstorms.

This is a gut check.

♪♪

♪♪

Good afternoon, everybody.

As we talk a little bit about
May 20th, our opening.

So here's a list
of the sectors that are open.

Restaurants, outdoor only,
and restaurants

are gonna be busy, I understand.

CHRISTIAN: First day of patio.

The reopenings for us

are working out somewhat well
because Stamford, Connecticut,

is a couple weeks
ahead of New York.

We know that
all the same regulations,

all the rules are gonna be
the same for New York.

Tables are minimum,
six feet apart, we like to say

between seven and eight feet.

When New York patios open
we'll be ahead of the game

because we've already
done it up here in Connecticut.

We are essentially

a well-oiled machine
because we've had

the opportunity
to do it here in Stamford first.

♪♪

♪♪

Oh!

Throw your elbows up.
Throw your elbows up.

Hope somebody put that
on the Instagrams,

you know what I'm saying?
- [ Laughs ]

We've been in it.

Connecticut was the first
of our restaurants

to be able to open
with patio seating.

It's been just a blessing.

Just salad and pizza.
Light... light nosh?

Spa menu?

Yeah, spa menu.

It was like breathing air
for the first time

in months.

You can almost think of it
as if you're drowning,

like in the movies.

Somebody comes over

and they swim over
at one of those tanks

with the mouthpiece
and they're like,

and you...

[ Inhales deeply,
exhales slowly ]

...take a deep breath.

From the day we opened
that patio,

it was at least a 70%
increase in sales.

Later, guys. Love you guys.

Am in no rush, as bad as it is,

I do not want to go through this
again, that'll be worse, right?

So we're gonna just
open patios, limited.

I'm gonna listen and we're
gonna figure out how to do

that the best way possible
and maximize every chair.

Right, so we can pay our bills,

bring people back to work.

♪♪

So Guy called me yesterday,
and he's doing "Triple D."

All of the chefs,

Maneet, Christian,
Marcus, and myself,

all get a phone call from Guy
that's basically like I want

you guys to do a celebrity chef
"Triple D" episode on takeout.

♪♪

Not only did this man
just raise $23 million

for restaurant relief,

but he's now helping
to promote to go,

not just in California for us,
but all across the country.

- We love Guy.
- We love Guy.

I've yet to film a cooking show

via the internet.

So, okay, great, let's try this,
but zero time to prep for it.

When I heard we were all
gonna be able

to get together for an episode,

oh, this is gonna be
just like a little break

from the craziness of the world.

♪♪

Well, look at this
cast of characters,

here we are,
ladies and gentlemen,

"Triple D," Take Out
Celebrity Chef Edition.

You ready?

ANTONIA: So basically doing
a 7 1/2 hour virtual shoot.

It was actually a lot of fun.

GUY: Yo.

Seeing Guy
and seeing my boy Hunter

and just chilling out.

This is a great escape.

You guys can fight as much
as you want,

but you know that the best
is for the last, right?

- Oh!
- Oh!

You know, talk a little trash

to each other,
get a little competitive.

Just throwing it out there,
just letting you know.

Wow, I love this show.

During a couple of the moments

where we had a break,

all of us are checking in
with each other.

How's California, like,
when people say you're open,

like, what does that mean?

Like, where I live in Venice,
everyone's out in the street.

Beaches are packed,
but people are opening and out

and about without permission.

Maneet, what's Tennessee like?

It's been very erratic.

What about New York?
- New York?

It's not even worth, like,
guessing anymore.

It felt so good to feel
that camaraderie,

that brotherhood,
that sisterhood.

For me, it was a reminder
as to why we do what we do.

It's just the love of food.
It's the obsession of food.

It felt good.

Well done, chefs. Thank you.

- Thank you so much, guys.
- I love you all.

- Thank you, thank you.
- I love you!

♪♪

It's the end of May.
We're rocking and rolling.

We're clawing our way out.

And then if we thought the world

didn't already change,

it was about to.

CROWD: Black Lives Matter!

There are huge
outbreaks of protest.

There's a very strong message
that's happening.

We're watching history
unfold right in front of us,

and it's not often you can
actually take part in history.

REPORTER: We come on the air
to a nation changed,

altered by outrage and pain,
fire and fury.

Right now,
more protests underway

in cities large and small.

CROWD: Black Lives Matter!

We're watching history unfold
right in front of us,

and it's not often you can
actually take part in history.

Thousands of thousands of
people have been demonstrating.

CROWD: Black Lives Matter!

Saturday, when I was marching
and speaking at the rally,

it was like maybe 700 people
demonstrating,

200, 300 police officers,
but it was done peacefully.

Everybody respecting each other.

I'm very, very appreciative.

I've never been prouder
of my community

and being a New Yorker
and being an American,

and watching so many people,

young and old, different races,

different religions
coming together.

There's been so much that has
thrown us all on such a loop.

So I'm just ready to open
and get my staff back

and doing what we're good at.

It's just a marathon, right?
And we're being tested.

And I feel like
we're in mile six.

Right.
And we got 18 miles to go.

♪♪

ANTONIA: Today is Monday,
June 1st.

There are huge outbreaks
of L.A. protests.

There's a very strong message
that's happening right now,

you know, everyone is angry,
disgusted, and wants change,

but it feels like there's more
solidarity in all communities

when it feels like
we're all in this together.

♪♪

It's hard right now because
navigating it with Xea right now

because she's, you know,
really sensitive

and I've been raising
a mixed child,

half black, half white.

This is something that we've
been talking about very openly

and very transparently.

Now, we basically
survived a pandemic, protest,

so if there's a tsunami...

We've all been joking
for the last, I don't know,

three months,
it's like 2020, do over,

2020, let's just skip it.

And then I read something
yesterday that was like,

what if 2020 was the year
that we all exactly needed?

What if this is the year
that changes,

you know, the next 50 years
in so many ways.

♪♪

MANEET: I can't wait
for the restaurants to open.

I'm feeling
very cautiously optimistic

that there is a glimmer,

there is a little
sliver of light

at the end of the tunnel.

♪♪

So welcome back.

I think Chauhan
is the one concept

which I'm most worked up about.

This is my first restaurant.

So it's got a very special place
in my heart.

So tonight, for us is the end
of a three-month ordeal

of having all
the restaurants closed

and this is the reopening.

I think we should call it
Chauhan 2.0.

What do you think, Maneet?
- Absolutely.

♪♪

60 people on the 5th.
I could shoot for 100.

So it's gonna be a big day.

We had a big meeting about COVID

and about all the protocols,
about the dos and don'ts.

So there's at least six feet
between all the tables.

All the servers and chefs
had gloves and masks on.

It was different from a regular
opening, no question about it.

There is so much
that can go wrong.

But then,

how long can you
live being afraid?

[ Indistinct conversations ]

No matter how old you get,

no matter how many times
you do it,

every time you open the doors,

there are butterflies
in your stomach

because you are so anxious.

We knew that we would be busy.

Chauhan is always busy.

Be it curbside, be it whatever.

And Chris did say
that starting from 6:30,

we will get hit.

And we did.

♪♪

To-go orders are insane.

[ Speaks indistinctly ]
...tomorrow night.

It was great, 78 covers.
78 covers.

And a lot of... ...takeouts.

Takeouts.

I'm waiting on a lamb korma
and a tikka masala.

How was everything?
- It was wonderful.

We have been following you
on Instagram

just waiting for this day.

Oh, my God. You made my day.
Thank you so much. Thank you.

I mean, these are
small victories, we are happy,

we are excited about it,

we are pumped about it.

Things are going good.

But the crux of the matter
is that COVID isn't

and this is constantly
in the back of our mind

because we have to make sure

the next step we take
is an informed one.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

All right, party people.

Welcome back to our first day
of the rest of our lives.

[ Applause ]

We were given the okay
on Friday to reopen restaurants

and how about this?
Reopen at 60%.

Let that sink in.

So we are going to obviously
still continue

with it to-go at night.

Because we're not really sure

how people are gonna
feel about coming in.

We can only operate at 60%,

which is a small amount
of tables.

Scopa is opening tonight.
Black Market is opening tonight.

DAMA will be opening tomorrow.

So it's just sort of me
addressing all of the staff

and kind of going through
protocol of what it is

that we're expected
to do for the opening.

My adrenaline hasn't stopped

since this all happened
in March,

so I'm basically
living off of adrenaline.

I am not scared of anything
at this point.

Look at that. ♪ Happy birthday
to you, happy birthday to you ♪

♪ Happy birthday to you,
happy birthday to you ♪

♪♪

I want to say a huge
thank you to you.

You guys absolutely murdered it.

It's been a wild ride.

Hopefully, this is, like,
almost the end, okay?

You guys have been
like soldiers and it's been,

like, my absolute pleasure.

I'm not nervous, I'm more
concerned about the outlook

of the general public.

You guys are our first
dining customers!

Whoo!

We actually haven't put
anything out on social media,

so every person
who's coming in tonight

is actually just word of mouth.

Like, news in Venice
travels quickly,

which is great.

First table,
it's all downhill from here.

[ Laughs ]

I actually haven't felt
this happy in a very long time.

Like, it almost feels natural
and normal,

like things are going to settle

and everything's gonna be
just fine.

♪♪

♪♪

This week started
takeout delivery at The Creamery

in Overtown in Miami.

It's really a fun ice cream
parlor with a great

chicken and waffle.

Flying is something
that we do two,

three, or four times a week
sometimes.

I never even think about it.

So this trip,
even pulling up to the airport,

made me a little bit nervous,

saying goodbye to Zion
and Maya made me nervous.

You know, I was gloved up,
mask on.

That strange vibe
was in the air,

everybody felt it.

Somebody sneezed, you know,
20 people looked the other way

and it's like,
what's going on, you know?

Once I landed, it was
kind of like, of course,

it would feel okay.

We were
supposed to open mid-March,

but we now opening
instead on Juneteenth.

This is, what,
four months behind, I guess.

Happy Juneteenth, everybody.

Having Juneteenth
seem like this is coming

and becoming a big holiday
around the country.

Being a black business owner,

we can actually
open on that day.

It was significant.

We have eight different flavors
of ice cream,

but we also have a savory side.

MAN: All right,
chicken and waffles,

mac and cheese.

WOMAN: I have an order for...
[ speaks indistinctly ]

Creamery is very tiny

and we got crushed.

[ Indistinct conversations ]

And the orders are coming in
all kinds of way,

ordering through phone,

people are ordering
traditional way,

going up,
and just taking an order.

And it's just tiny,
like 7 feet by 15 feet area.

So how do we do this
through social distancing

and how do we get
those orders to be right.

But restaurant work
is like getting up on a bike.

If you train and you know
how to do it,

it's gonna come naturally.

The Creamery is our way
now to stay open

and communicate
that we're here, Florida,

we're here, Miami,
we're here for you.

The emotional feeling of,
oh, yes, we're back.

We finally did it.
But it's also a job.

How long did you open for?

The next step is, hey,
you got the wrong order,

now you're back in regular
restaurant business, right?

Like, hey, the computer
is going down.

But when that happened,
I was like, great.

It's, like, I love having just
traditional restaurant issues.

We did 500 covers on the first
day in The Creamery.

I'm really proud of this team.

Nice. Thank you so much
for your help.

- Thank you.
- Thank you.

Thank you so much.

MANEET: I think
one of the biggest things

that I've learned since March

is don't get
comfortable for even a second.

ANTONIA: I even try to remember
what March and April felt like.

It's like a car accident.

CHRISTIAN: The business side of
things was never something

that I was really involved in.

And it turns out
that's a recipe for disaster.

♪♪

♪♪

It's absolutely gratifying
to see this.

I mean...

I'm being cautiously optimistic.

So as it is, we've been open
for five days a week

for Chaatable, Chauhan,
and Mockingbird.

We can do 75% indoor seating.

We also have been allowed
to see people at the bar

six feet apart,
which really helps us.

I think that in March,

we were caught
completely off guard.

We were hearing it
in the background,

but everything happened
so rapidly

we were not ready for it.

We hadn't anticipated
what we were going to do.

I think we are at a much
better space right now.

♪♪

Can you take this on
party four, please?

Four and four, party four.

I think one of the biggest
things that I've learned

since March is don't get
comfortable for even a second.

Right? And comfort
is something completely

different from working hard.

Before March, I did get
comfortable about the fact

that the restaurants
were operating,

our events are doing amazingly.

The biggest thing
that I have learned

is don't get comfortable at all,
because then you'll keep on

pushing yourself more
and more and more.

Stamford is up on some weeks,

110% over last year.

The restaurant is actually doing
better than it was pre-COVID.

Right?

Armonk back doing great.

♪♪

And all throughout this,
something doesn't feel right.

I'm not feeling whole.

I don't have that...

...thing, that igniter,
that spark,

that that jet engine
that burns inside of my soul.

You know, I never handled
the business side of things.

I never wanted to.

I'm a creative,

so the business side of things
was never something

that I was really
involved in or knew much about.

And it turns out
that's a recipe for disaster.

Do I really want to continue

on the way I am right now
for another 10, 20, 30 years?

♪♪

I've decided to leave Fortina.

It's time.

I need to cook again,

I need to be happy again.

♪♪

I got a little mobile oven.

And I'm gonna take it
on the road, do some pop ups.

Keep a look out.

♪♪

We are about to open
for indoor for the first time

in a very long time, right?

Only 25%,
but it's a big deal to us.

We have a extended patio.

We've been doing the patio
on and off,

and now we're about open
inside of Rooster

and I can't wait.

You know, that's really Rooster
at its fullest.

Even if it's only 25%,
it's a start for us.

Once it goes from 25 to 40, 50,
you can bring more people back.

And it's also a sign
for Harlem that, you know,

as a village, as a city,
we're back.

So it's very, very important.

This is the dialog,
having a restaurant in Harlem,

it's a dialog.

You've got to take all of it,
the days when the restaurants

are packed, the hardship
during COVID,

the community work, all of it.

And it's not pretty.
It's not easy.

But that's what it means
to be an owner,

a chef in Harlem in Red Rooster.

We're not out of anything.

This is a humble walk
that I monitor daily, weekly.

And I'm learning a ton.

It's tough, but I know
we're gonna get through it

because we're strong.

♪♪

The train is
leaving the station.

The wheels are turning.

It's looking good.

The weather's good
in Los Angeles.

We have outdoor
dining available.

It has been consistent
over the last couple of months,

every single night.

We have reservations
every single night.

All of our staff is here.

Everyone is in good spirits
and everybody's working.

And everything feels like
it's almost back to normal,

except we just
can't work indoors.

I mean, it's a good sign that
New York is actually allowed

to be open with indoor dining
up to 25%.

So we're hoping that California
is going to follow suit

and that we're gonna be able
to have indoor dining

hopefully within
the next six months.

We're not gonna able
to survive with outdoor dining.

It's not gonna happen.

We take everything day by day.

Tomorrow is not guaranteed.

Our jobs are not
guaranteed tomorrow

because we have seen
everything turn in 24 hours.

Now we're at the end
of September.

If I even try to remember
what March and April felt like,

it's like a car accident,
you know.

I mean, I can taste
the metallic in my mouth,

you know what I mean?

Because there's, like,
that much freaking trauma

behind it, you know,
I can't even imagine

having to go through that again.

♪♪

I've been brought to tears
by the men and women

that run our back of the house

who have been unwavering.

I went out and bought a flag
that said

and it's a military
expression that says,

"don't give up the ship"

to pass to every single
one of our leaders.

They get the flag for 48 hours

and then they pass it on
to the next leader.

So we didn't give up our ships.
Right?

We didn't throw in the towel.
We didn't close the doors.

We just keep moving like
one foot in front of the other.

And I think everyone feels
really, like, happy

and proud of that.

♪♪

We were just caught
in a moment of time

that you had to either...

stay and fight

or let the situation
take you over.

And the beautiful thing
in a very dark time

was that those four chefs

decided to fight.

After a while,
some of this doesn't get paid

off with blood, sweat,
and tears.

There's no more blood,
there's no more sweat,

and there's no more tears.

But do you want to talk
about a tough group of people

with never say die attitude,

that's restaurateurs,
that's what it is.

That is the restaurant hustle.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪